The Vancouver Canucks got a vintage J.T. Miller performance on Monday night.
The 31-year-old scored two goals, added a pair of assists, and was involved in every scoring play for his team. While it wasn’t enough to beat the Montreal Canadiens, it was an incredibly impressive showing.
It was a much-needed offensive breakout for Miller who has been searching for his top gear this season. This year has not gone the way anyone expected and there’s been several bumps in the road but tonight was a massive step in the right direction.
“He’s trying to do the right things. He had a tough start with training camp, a couple of things were bothering him, obviously when he was out for about a month,” said head coach Rick Tocchet.
“He’s starting to find his game, he played a hell of a game for us tonight.”
Miller’s got points in six of his last seven games, dating back to December 21. That streak has helped him reach 29 points in 29 games, good for 41st among all NHL skaters in points-per-game.
The veteran’s on-ice numbers have also been trending upwards. He’s rocking a 59.27% expected goals share since the holiday break and the Canucks are outscoring opponents 6-2 during his five-on-five minutes.
“I don’t think the two-way [game] has been a huge problem, it’s not like I’m stuck in my own end all night. I just think that the production has been a little tougher to come by as of late,” said Miller.
“When you spend more time in the other team’s end, you don’t have to play defence and you get more of a rhythm. It’s nice to see a couple go in but as a team I think [there] just needs to be a little bit more consistency.”
“There’s going to be spurts in games where the other team takes control a little bit and we have a hard time stopping that momentum and flipping it quickly. I’m not worried about myself, I’m worried about the team.”
While Miller’s improved play isn’t directly translating to wins just yet, he helped the Canucks earn a point against the Canadiens. It was a huge performance while the team continues to deal with the absence of Elias Pettersson due to injury. If the feisty centre can keep up this level when the team gets everyone back healthy, the Canucks will be able to right the ship quickly.